


Stranded Together, Our Worlds Have Collided

by shakethatcas



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Future Fic, M/M, Slow Burn, War, as in bad guys, but also there will be violence, but it will happen later, sheith is the ship but it'll be a while before it happens, so prepare yourself, tags will be added as needed, the rest of the gang will be added as this goes on, the violence isn't very graphic, theres cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:14:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7735417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shakethatcas/pseuds/shakethatcas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is about Shiro and Keith who have more in common than they realize. Shiro, the escaped lab experiment and Keith the walking anomaly. Both are living weapons and both are fighting for their freedom. They may not know the extent of their own power or what it could be used for, but Shiro and Keith are working to make a change in the world. Will they use their abilities to raze the nation to the ground or will they use it to protect the ones they love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You And Me Bleed The Same Light

**Author's Note:**

> First off we need to thank Clara for being amazing friend and helping me pull this mess together. I had a great dream and decided to turn it into a fic and their advice has helped me make it the best I can.
> 
> There's a lot of unexplained things happening in this from the very beginning, but the thing is that the characters know almost nothing too. We'll be finding out what's going on as they do.
> 
> In the beginning of this Shiro is 17 and Keith 14, later on they will be the ship but not until both of them are older. This will be a slow burn fic, potentially very slow burning so prepare for the ride. We'll watch these two go from never knowing each other all the way to the very end, where hopefully they can find happiness together.

Shiro’s ears are ringing, his head is spinning and he just needs somewhere to hide for now, a place to pull back until he can get his bearings on straight. He stumbles into a small house in a clearing; it looks too run down to have any live guests, so he takes his chance and goes around the back to try to get inside. 

The door is locked, but its old age combined with rusty locks means he easily throws it open and makes his way inside. Everything is dirty, dust covers every surface in thick layers and mold is growing where the roof obviously started leaking a long time ago. It definitely isn’t somewhere he can stay for long but it will work until he can make a good plan.

He sits down in the middle of the room and takes inventory of what he was able to stuff in his small bag. He has one and a half bottles of water, three protein bars, a small length of rope, one knife, and a gun that only has four bullets left. It’s not much but it’s more than nothing.

After downing the half full bottle of water and eating one of the protein bars his head feels much better; the room is no longer moving and he can finally hear something other than the shrill screeching that has been plaguing him for the past few hours. He finds a small space hidden behind a couch to nap for a bit, hidden from both doors leading outside. In case anything happens, he has several escape routes mapped out in his head. The bag is his makeshift pillow and with the knife in his hand he finally lets his eyes close. For the first time in days he finally manages to sleep for a while.

Rustling, that’s what wakes him. It’s growing louder and it’s somewhere near him. He’s still disoriented from sleep but he knows that someone is there, in the house, and definitely very close. 

As quietly as he can Shiro stands up, knife still in hand, and sidesteps his way out of where he had slept making sure to keep the wall at his back. 

“Uggghhhhh...”

Shiro can tell exactly where that noise came from: the couch right in front of him. He can tell something under there is moving. Well, _ trying to _ . It seems like a piece of the ceiling fell down on the couch and buried whatever, or whomever is moving under there. By the amount of dust on top of the tiles, whatever is under there hasn’t moved in quite some time. 

Whimpering. That’s what he hears now, and it sounds like a person. With the hand unoccupied by the knife, Shiro grips the piece of ceiling and slides it off of what’s underneath. The form beneath the blanket stops moving, probably realizing it’s free and trying to decide what to do next.

Shiro can now see that it’s indeed a kid, even through the thick blanket laid on top of it. Making the decision that the figure can’t possibly be hostile, he kneels down to pick up the end of the blanket by the head and starts pulling it off.

He sees the gun a second too late, and the kid pulls the trigger before he can do anything. He feels a stinging pain right between his eyes as he falls backwards to the floor. Upon further review he realizes he should have stayed standing up, as being on his knees left him too unstable to even have a chance of defending himself. So much for trying not to scare the child. 

Shiro brings his hand up to where he’s been hit, wondering how he’s still alive with a shot like that. When he pulls his hand away Shiro doesn’t see blood, he only sees glitter mixed with some confetti. Shiro has been taken down... by a party prop. 

“What the hell?” Shiro growls, frowning. “Explain.” He isn’t happy and it’s completely understandable. Glitter _ never _ comes out completely.

“I thought--” The kid’s voice is raspy and he coughs after barely getting this much out.

Shiro puts his hands up in the universal ‘I surrender’ pose and crawls back to his bag to grab the bottle of water. The kid follows Shiro with his eyes, the gun is still trained on him even with the knowledge that it’s basically useless.  _ Basically. _ That thing might only shoot glitter and confetti but it still packs a punch.

Shiro hands the bottle to the kid who’s trying to contain their coughing. “Here, take a sip of this so maybe we can talk when you’re done. I guess we both have some explaining to do.” The kid takes the bottle, and Shiro makes his way back to the front of the couch to sit criss crossed in front of them. Shiro can’t tell yet if it’s a boy or a girl, their hair is too messy and there’s dirt and dust covering most of them.

He takes this time to really look at them; their hair is very tangled and dirty but he can tell it’s black and fairly long. He notices that their eyes are also dark, and their skin has a natural tan. The most appalling about this kid’s appearance is the crusted blood right in the middle of their forehead; it surrounds a large scar in a perfect circle. 

When the kid is done they throw the bottle back at Shiro before mirroring his position sitting in front of Shiro. 

Shiro decides it’s time for some explaining. “Alright, I’ll go first I guess,” he says slowly. He has a feeling that the kid is harmless, but trusting someone so fast is something he hasn’t done in a long time. “My name is Shiro, I’m a seventeen-year-old guy, and I just escaped the experiment center a few miles away from here.” He pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing, “I’m the only one left of my family and I have no idea where I am.”

The kid facing him nods, eyes locked onto Shiro’s as they take their turn to speak. “My name is Keith, I’m fourteen years old and a boy. I remember being killed.” Shiro’s hands go cold at that but the boy, Keith, doesn’t seem fazed at all. Keith continues, “I woke up one night to men marching into my house and heard two shots before they came after me. I had fallen asleep on this couch that night, and when they realized I wasn’t in my room they came here. I saw the gun being lifted, and I saw the trigger being pulled…” Keith trails off for a second and his eyes are trained somewhere to Shiro’s left, unfocused, as he seems to be reliving the memory in vivid colors. He shakes his head lightly and finishes, “And then I wake up here and I can’t move or breathe.”

When Keith stops speaking for good Shiro draws in a sharp breath, teeth clenched. Keith’s revelations are something he never thought he would hear, but at the same time, he shouldn’t be surprised. He knows better than most people that war is never victimless.

“I’m sorry, Keith.” Shiro’s voice is soft and comforting, and Keith nods while looking down at his folded legs. “I can’t believe you had to witness that, but I’m here now and I’ll help you in whatever way I can. We’re on the same team.” Shiro’s hands clench into fists as he continues, “These people who stole your parents are the same ones that took mine, and they’re the same ones that experimented on me for years. We’ll find a way out of this together. Deal?”

Shiro holds out his hand and Keith hesitates for a minute but eventually shakes it. After a moment Keith even pulls Shiro forwards into an unexpected hug, and if anyone mentions it he’ll deny ever quietly crying into Shiro’s shoulder.

After a while Keith calms down and Shiro finally pulls back from him, keeping his hands on Keith’s shoulders as he looks into the younger one’s watery eyes, sympathetic in his own misfortune. Dying couldn’t have been easy, and coming back from the dead was probably even more tough. Especially for a fourteen-year-old.

Shiro wishes they could stay like this for a little longer and let their emotions settle down, but there are tasks that need to be accomplished.

“Okay, now there are things we need and I’m not sure if we have access to any of them here, but we’ll have to find some supplies. I’m out of water now and I only have two snack bars left so we need to find water first and then something we can eat.”

Keith nods his head in understanding before replying, “There’s a pump out behind the house. We should be able to get fresh water there, but I’m not sure about food.”

“A pump?” Shiro cocks an eyebrow, “How old is this house exactly?”

“My parents built it when they got married. There was even a farm out back!” There are stars in Keith’s eyes as he speaks. “They started building it in 1960, six years before I was born, but my dad liked being old fashioned so we just had the pump.”

“Keith, that means you were born in 1966 right?” Keith nods his head and Shiro’s brows furrow as he quickly does the math in his head. “It’s 2016 now, and you were fourteen the last time you were awake, which means it’s been... thirty-six years.” He looks at Keith with wide eyes and whispers, “Keith-- what exactly happened?”

“I told you, I remember the guns being brought out, I remember dying and then I just woke up here and there’s you.” Keith shuts his eyes tightly and clenches his teeth but he continues speaking, “I died, and somehow I’m back now even though I have no idea how or why.”

Keith starts shaking and Shiro decides it’s time to stop this conversation for now. The dried blood and scar on his forehead are proof enough that what he says is true, and Shiro doesn’t want him having deal with everything all at once.

“Okay, then. For now we need to get that water. Baths are in order because you stink and I’m certain that I do too.”

Keith makes a face but nods again. He gets up and goes to what looks like the kitchen area and pulls out a large bin. “This is what we used for water, after we wash it I think It’ll be good enough for us to rinse off.”

Keith leads Shiro out the back door and they take a right, sure enough somehow Shiro missed seeing the pump when he was getting into the house. Keith goes up to it and frowns at the rust coating some of the joints, but starts pumping the handle anyways. After a few minutes water starts trickling out, but it’s too dirty to use for anything.

“I guess it really has been a long time since this has been used…” Keith murmurs, mostly to himself. Then he speaks to Shiro, “The line is full of dirt, but if we keep pumping we can clear it out.”

Shiro hums and puts his hand beside Keith’s on the handle. “Here Keith, let me do this. We can take turns okay?” Keith nods and Shiro takes his place doing the work, and sure enough after about five minutes the water starts running clear.

“Looks like there’s still water down there after all. I’ll clean the tub while you keep going.” Shiro nods to that, and Keith drags the tub under the water to rinse the dust off it. Once it’s clean he sets it under the pump to let it fill up and announces, “I’m going to go see what we have left in the bathrooms, there might be something we can use to bathe.”

Keith runs off while Shiro continues to pump until the tub is almost filled. When it’s done he drags it a little away so they don’t create a mud puddle around the pump, and waits for Keith to return. 

Soon enough, Shiro hears Keith’s triumphant voice. “I found some stuff! There was soap in there which I know is still good because it’s homemade, I also  found some towels and clothes for us. A brush and clippers, too.”

“Alright!” Shiro smiles, “Then I guess it’s time to start this very cold bath. The water is freezing but it’s still daytime so we’ll have time to warm up and dry off before we have to go inside for the night.”

He can tell that neither of them are too keen on the idea of a cold bath, but it has to be done. They somehow end up making it through it, and though the water was freezing, in the end it was worth it. 

They already have towels wrapped around their waists when Shiro sighs deeply, as if he’s forgotten about something important. Keith turns to look at him, an eyebrow cocked in confusion at Shiro’s resolved expression.

“Okay, bud. I need you to dunk your head in the water because I have to do something with this hair of yours.”

Keith looks like he’s about to protest, but Shiro has his arms crossed over his chest and he looks like he means business so Keith decides to listen. He dunks his head under the water and uses his hands to make sure it all gets wet. Then he sits back down, and Shiro comes with the soap.

“I know this soap isn’t the best, but your hair needs some serious cleaning and this is all we have so please bear with me.” Keith nods and lets Shiro do what he has to. 

Shiro rubs the soap between his hands and makes bubbles before moving his fingers into Keith’s hair. He’s making a mess but it’s definitely necessary. 

A comfortable silence falls upon them, covering them like a blanket. Shiro’s full attention is directed towards Keith’s bird nest of a head, and Keith has to hang on tightly to his consciousness as he relishes in the feeling of fingers threading through his hair. Eventually he starts  feeling drowsy, and after a while he hears himself speak up.

“Shiro?” The boy in question hums in response, indicating that he heard Keith. The words slip past Keith’s lips before he can prevent them from doing so, “What happened to your arm?”

Shiro freezes for a few seconds and Keith worries he might have overstepped some kind of unspoken boundary, but he quickly goes back to rubbing the soap into Keith’s hair as if nothing had happened. For the next few minutes Shiro carefully mulls over what to say before he responds.

“Do you remember me telling you I was at an experimental facility?” Keith nods his head and Shiro continues, “This is the experiment they did on me. Once, during training some muscles got torn. They healed up wrong and I ended up with a bum arm. Instead of them fixing it, they thought they could make it better by just replacing it.” Shiro draws in a deep breath and he proceeds while trying to hide the shakiness in his voice, “It moves just like a real arm. I can control my fingers just like before, but according to them it makes me stronger now. It’s a weapon they built, and it just so happened that I sustained an injury that gave them an excuse to use it.” Keith can hear a hint of anger in Shiro’s voice when he says that. “I don’t like it though, and I certainly don’t like using it as a weapon, it makes me feel like they got what they wanted.”

Shiro’s words hang heavy above them, the weight of what happened silencing both of them, until something clicks inside Keith’s head.

“But you escaped, right?”

“...Yeah.”

“Then now you can decide how to use that arm. You might not have liked using it as a weapon when they commanded you to, but now you have the chance to use it against them. A weapon is only a weapon if you choose to use it that way. A knife can be used for many different things, but it’s only a weapon when the wielder intends for it to be used that way.” Keith reaches back, grabs Shiro’s metal hand and turns to face him, locking their gazes as he continues speaking. “This arm is only a weapon when you want it to be, but when you don’t it can be used to do good things too.”

When Keith is done he turns back around so Shiro can keep working on his head, as if he just said the smallest thing in the world --when in all actuality he just blew Shiro’s mind.

Shiro breathes a smile, shaking his head lightly. “You know-- you might be  _ fourteen _ , but you definitely talk like someone your actual age.”

“Just finish washing my hair!”

Shiro chuckles and goes back to his task, Keith’s words echoing in his head and resonating with his entire being.

“Alright kiddo, time to rinse this out.”

Keith doesn’t even argue at the nickname and dunks his head back into the tub, using his hands once more to make sure it all gets wet. The water turns a murky color, and Shiro makes a face at it. Keith’s hair was definitely more dirty than he could see.

“Now I’m going to try to comb this mess while we dry off. Are you tender headed?”

Keith groans at the mention of combing, but he lets Shiro know that he’ll be fine and Shiro takes his place behind Keith again. This time with a comb instead of soap. Keith’s hair is naturally smooth so the brushing isn’t too difficult, but it still takes a while. 

“So where in the world did you get that gun?” Shiro’s head still hurts from the shot, and there’s a red mark blossoming in the middle of his forehead. 

“My dad gave it to me. When we got news that the war was starting I told my dad that I wanted a way to protect them, and I begged him and begged him until he came home with what I thought was a gun... He was always against violence though,” says Keith, and Shiro can hear the smile in his voice. “I should have guessed that it would be a fake but I didn’t care. I just wanted to protect them. That’s why I slept on the couch that night without them knowing, but I still wasn’t able to do anything in the end.” Keith draws his knees up to his chest and rests his head on them. Shiro can tell he’s upset.

“Hey, I hope you know it isn’t your fault.” Shiro has finished combing Keith’s hair and he moves to sit in front of him just like they were earlier. “I couldn’t protect my family either... Hell I couldn’t even protect myself.” He sighs and lowers his head, then he straightens his back once more and looks into Keith’s eyes. “Keith, you were fourteen. It wasn’t your responsibility to be the hero.”

Keith averts his gaze and picks the grass from the ground with his fingers. “Why are we only talking about the bad stuff? I want to think of other things but all my mind keeps coming back to is everything,” he makes a vague gesture with his hands, “terrible that’s going on. I have so many questions and so many things I wish I could fix but it all seems like it’s hopeless.” Keith lays his forehead on his knees and Shiro’s heart breaks a little.

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this somehow.” Shiro most definitely wants to believe that. “We only think of the bad because it’s all that’s going on right now, but you have to have hope. It’s what has gotten me through all of this. We live today and think about tomorrow when we get there, we go about our business and hope that one day they’ll end whatever war this seems to be.” There’s a deep resolve glinting in his eyes when he locks his gaze to Keith’s. “We’re going to be a team now, and together we’ll find a way to make the good times flow through our memories more than the bad. We can battle this together.”

Keith grins and tackles Shiro for another hug. Had it been anyone else at any other time it would have been awkward, but somehow it seemed okay to do with Shiro. They may have only known each other for a half a day, but it seems like it has been much longer. Shiro means every word he’s said; if Keith wants to stick with him, then they’ll be a team.

Keith pulls back and pokes Shiro right on the red spot on his head before laughing and falling back into the grass in front of him. He takes a moment to admire the sky above them. It’s peaceful and calm even though there’s a war going on underneath it. A soft breeze brushes his drying skin, its temperature comfortable enough to keep him from shivering, and it feels _ good _ . For a moment everything seems alright. Everything seems okay… As if nothing bad was happening.

He loses his train of thought when he hears the  _ snip-snip _ of scissors very closeby. 

“I hope you know that you aren’t coming anywhere near my hair with those scissors,” says Keith, sitting up on the ground once more to look at Shiro as he examines the tool with serious eyes. “I brought them for you because you’re starting to look like a caveman.”

“Oh, really?” Keith hears a slightly mocking tone when Shiro laughs. “Then what will you do with your hair when it gets really hot?” Shiro crosses his arms again and seems like he’s trying to look stern, but Keith can see the smirk forming on his lips.

“My mom taught me how to tie it back so it’s not in my face! I brought a string so I could do it once it’s dry.”

“Okay then, I guess you’re cutting my hair and trimming this beard I got going on.” Shiro grimaces but hands Keith the scissors anyway.

Not long after, Keith is kneeling behind Shiro and has started combing his hair. “So, how do you want this cut?”

“Ah, I used to have the top a bit longer and the sides almost shaved, but it’s not important. Just do what you can.”

Although Shiro can’t see him, Keith nods and gets to work. He starts with cutting the sides; using his fingers as guides he cuts as close to them as he can and works his way around Shiro’s head. He starts working on the top in the same way, taking a section and running it through his fingers before snipping the ends off.

“You seem to know what you’re doing,” Shiro murmurs. “I’m impressed.”

“Remember when I said my family was old fashioned? I used to cut my mom’s hair and she would cut mine. I had to learn really quick so she wouldn’t get mad at me for doing it wrong. She never got upset, but I always wanted her to look her best.” 

Shiro hums his acknowledgement, and they go back into comfortable silence until Keith finishes working.

“Okay, I’m done with your hair.” Keith moves back in front of Shiro. “But I have no idea how to cut a beard.”

“Uh, to be honest I don’t either,” says Shiro, scratching the back of his head. “They always kept everything trimmed for us there. I guess... just cut as close to my skin as you can? I want as much of this fuzz off as possible, it’s been annoying me all week,” he finishes, chuckling a little.

Keith nods again and gets back to work. He starts at one side and makes his way across Shiro’s face, cutting as close as he can without nicking skin. The beard really isn’t that long but Keith could understand that having the equivalent of a furry animal on his face could be very annoying.

When Shiro starts chuckling Keith stops what he’s doing to look at him, an eyebrow cocked in confusion.

“Sorry, sorry!” Shiro tries to contain his giggling, but it’s not working. At all. “It’s nothing, please continue.”

“No, it definitely is  _ something _ ,” says Keith, tilting his head to the side and eyeing Shiro with some annoyance in his gaze. “I haven’t heard you laugh all this time and now you’re doing it while looking at my face.” 

Keith is the one holding the scissors right now, and Shiro should notice. Keith could cut a funny design in Shiro’s beard and he would never know. As tempting as it is, Keith leaves it as a normal trim this time.

“Sorry, it’s just-- you stick your tongue out while working, and it’s kind of cute.”

Shiro smiles --an angelic smile-- and Keith’s face turns bright red.

“Shut up.” Keith averts his gaze, pouting.

Shiro eventually stops laughing, and when Keith goes back to work his tongue slowly makes its appearance again. Shiro doesn’t say anything.

When Keith is done Shiro rubs his hands over his face and seems satisfied with the results. He thanks Keith before flopping back into the grass and just lying there. Keith puts the scissors away --a safe distance away from his hair-- and goes to lie down beside Shiro on the ground.

Shiro draws in a sharp breath, eyes trained on the dimming sky above them. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, as if unable to decide whether to speak or not, but eventually he does.

“So... how do you feel? Physically, I mean. I have no idea what could have gone on in your body for you to have survived that long. You can’t be feeling like a cup of tea right now.”

Keith takes a short moment to really think about it, mentally taking note of how he feels. “Actually, I’m okay? Other than being really hungry, everything else feels... normal.”

Shiro nods at that, “Well I guess that’s our cue to pick up out here and head back inside to see what’s still edible.”

They empty the tub and Shiro drags it to the back door while Keith grabs the rest of the things they used. The dirty clothes are left outside in the tub to be washed later. Once everything is in order they both walk back into the house and make themselves comfortable leaning against the couch.

With a sigh, Keith nearly melts into the old cushions. He pulls his legs close against his chest and wiggles his toes, thoughtful as he looks down. 

Shiro spends a lot of time just looking at Keith, amazed at how the kid is _still alive_ , surprisingly but truly, and how he seems to be… okay with all of it. Or mostly. After a while Keith turns his gaze to Shiro and his eyes go wide before he starts giggling. Quickly, he covers his mouth to hide it, but not before Shiro notices.

“Now what are _ you _ laughing at, huh?” Shiro feels a small smile starting to tug at his lips in spite of himself. Seeing Keith laugh somehow makes him feel better.

“You still have glitter in your hair,” Keith responds, no longer trying to hide how his shoulders are shaking with each set of giggles that wrack his body.

“Dammit! This stuff never comes out,” Shiro grumbles with a frown. He rubs hard at his forehead, but he doesn’t look all that upset. This small misfortune seems to have relaxed Keith even more.

A few moments pass, their breathing the only audible sound, when Keith remembers that he wanted to fix Shiro’s clothes.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to go grab your other set of clothes to patch them up.”

“Ah, no you don’t have to do that. I can wear them how they are.” Honestly, Shiro doesn’t want Keith to worry about him.

“What else is there to do?” Keith shrugs as he stands up . “It’ll keep me occupied and I don’t mind doing it.” Without waiting for an answer Keith makes his way back outside to where they left everything and grabs the clothes before returning to the main room.

He finds it hard to believe that so much could happen in the small amount of time he was gone.

What he finds inside is chaos; there’s one man already taken out by Shiro, and there’s a second one attacking him just as Keith walks in. Shiro gets caught up with the one in front of him and doesn’t see the third man coming up behind him. They’re all armed with blades.

**_Shiro!_ **

Keith’s voice, rather than flowing through his ears, feels like it’s resonating deep inside Shiro’s head. 

Shiro tries to figure out how  _ that _ happened, the thought distracting him long enough for the guy to get the upper hand. Shiro ends up pinned to the floor, cheek pressed to the wood and both of his arms folded against his back by the two soldiers above him.

“Keith, run. Now!” Shiro shouts, struggling underneath his opponents.

Keith takes a defensive stance before resolving himself and shouting, “No, I’m staying right here!” The defiance in Keith’s tone is palpable when he decides to disobey Shiro’s orders. He already failed to protect his family once, and he refuses to let anyone else die… especially Shiro.

“Keith!” Shiro’s tone is desperate, he just wants Keith to get out safely.

It’s too late; Keith makes his way to where Shiro is pressed down against the floor, with his gun now in his hand. He pops soldier number two in the head, just like he did with Shiro, and knocks the guy down. Shiro jerks free from the grip on his arms, no longer immobilized by two soldiers, and takes the guy out.

Soldier number three makes his way towards Shiro again, but suddenly stops dead in his tracks. The hand with his knife is unexpectedly making its way to his throat while his other hand tries to stop it. He locks his gaze to Keith’s like he somehow _ knows _ that this kid is the one in control now… but the soldier is on the ground with a clean cut across his throat before he can say anything.

For a long while, the only sound that can be heard in the room is rough, difficult breathing. Shiro is taking mental note of each nick the blade of the soldiers caused, and Keith is trying to control his shaky hands. When most of the adrenaline is out of his system, Shiro sits back up and takes a look around the room to make sure all potential threats are gone.

“What the hell was that?” Shiro gulps heavily, trying to bring his heart rate back to normal. He stands up and starts patting the dust off of his clothes while he tries to wrap his head around what just went down.

“I have-- no idea?” Keith’s gaze looks slightly unfocused, even as it goes back to the figure lying in front of him in a pool of blood. “It seemed like he was looking at me though.” 

Keith’s hands are still shaking but it’s no longer from the adrenaline, it’s from his own anxiety. Did he really just kill this man? He imagined it in his head, the knife slicing straight through the soldier's neck, but he never expected it to happen.

“Keith... your nose is bleeding.” As soon as Shiro notices he grabs one of their towels and gives it to Keith. He’s starting to worry about whether or not Keith is really ‘okay’.

“What?” Keith brings his hand to his nose and sure enough, there’s blood on his fingers when he pulls them away. With the towel offered by Shiro, Keith starts dabbing at the blood making its way down to his lip.

Shiro continues, “And, it might sound crazy...” A breathy laugh, as if he doesn’t believe what he’s about to say. “...but I swear I heard you shout my name. In my head.” He’s searching for Keith’s gaze, and is glad to find it when the kid snaps his head back towards him. 

There’s still a very small part of Shiro that thinks it was all in his head but the more he replays that moment, the more he thinks that Keith actually did say something. Right as he heard the voice he also felt a presence in his mind, it felt like when you open a window in a hot room and the fresh air blows in. Somehow he knows that this presence was Keith, it just  _ feels _ right.

“I did?”

“Yeah.” He looks down at the only living soldier left lying unconscious on the floor. “We need some answers, and my bet is that this guy knows them.”

Keith doesn’t answer that. He sits on the floor again with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs, looking far in front of him. Shiro decides to give him some space and gets to work on tying up the soldier. He takes the length of rope out of his bag, ties up the unconscious man in a chair taken from the kitchen, and brings him into the main room.

Both teenagers sit in silence, waiting for the soldier to wake up. As soon as Keith sees his eyes open he takes the length of string out of his pocket and ties his hair back behind his head. 

Keith stands up and takes the same stance Shiro held earlier, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and his feet spread. The younger one had looked defeated and scared out of his own skin just a moment ago, but now when Shiro gazes up at him he sees none of that uncertainty left in his eyes. Keith holds the soldier’s stern gaze with intent, his eyes never once waver. 

Raw emotion radiates from Keith’s figure in the center of the room, and it makes the remaining hairs on the back of Shiro’s neck stand up. Gone is the little boy who blushed at being called cute, gone is the kid that giggled when he saw there was still glitter on Shiro. Keith now shows the resolve and determination that even a forty-year-old man would struggle to muster. Keith is tired of people trying to decide his fate for him, and if this ability he has --whatever it is-- can help keep himself and Shiro safe, then by all means he will do whatever he can to protect his family this time. 

Keith steps towards the soldier and with every bit of confidence he can muster he snarls, “What _ am _ I?”


	2. We Might Not Know Why, We Might Not Know How

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M AWFUL AND HAVEN'T HAD ANY TIME TO WORK ON THIS SO I FEEL EXTRA SUPER BAD ABOUT THE CLIFFHANGER BUT HERE'S CHAPTER 2 *THROWS CHAPTER AND RUNS AWAY*

The soldier doesn’t answer at first, it looks like he’s still dazed from the blow Shiro delivered, and Keith’s impatience is palpable. He’s still standing in the same place as before but now he radiates an air of agitation that Shiro didn’t think Keith was capable of until now.

 

Turning his head a few times, the soldier finally realizes where he is. His entire body stiffens, his teeth clenching so fast that Shiro feels bad for him for a second, only a second.

 

“What do you want with me? Why didn’t you just kill me like the others?” The soldier spits his questions like he’s angry at how merciful Shiro and Keith have been towards him, but he doesn’t know what’s still to come.

 

“We have some questions, and you’re going to answer them.” Shiro steps up beside Keith and mimics his stance. He realizes that Keith might be pulling it off better than he is.

 

“What makes you so sure that I’ll answer them?” The soldier scoffs and huffs a laugh at their assumptions.

 

“I’m sure you know at least a little bit about what I can do. Three armed and trained men were sent after a 14-year-old. What makes you think that I couldn’t destroy _ you _ right now?” Keith speaks evenly and slowly, making sure the soldier catches every word and the underlying threat.

 

The soldier hesitates before signaling his compliance with a jerky nod of his head.

 

Keith repeats his original request but a little less intense this time, “What am I?”

 

With a huff the soldier responds, “If you don’t know what you are then how are you going to  _ ‘destroy’ _ me, huh? You aren’t a threat if you don’t even know what you’re doing, don’t try to act all grown up.” He’s smirking by the time he’s done speaking but he’s not irritating Keith as much as he seems to think. 

 

“Oh I might not know  _ what  _ I am, but do you want to be the second person I try it out on? I’m afraid the first person didn’t live long enough for me to learn anything useful.” Keith says this with a smirk of his own, he’ll deal with the fact that he killed a man later. Right now he has priorities. “Even if I didn’t know yet, we would still get the answers we need. You see this guy right here?” Keith points his thumb towards Shiro, “He took out one of your men before I even walked in, he’s got enough power of his own.”

 

Shiro shifts a bit awkwardly at that. He knows the man is now taking a good look at him, mostly his arm. 

 

“Now- I suggest you answer my question before the curiosity wins and I see how long you last compared to your comrade.” Keith nods his head to the soldier still laying on the floor in the same spot, and he knows they’ve won when the soldier bows his head down, probably thinking over his answer.

 

“We don’t know  _ what  _ you are. The only things we were briefed on before the mission was the general details. There’s something about your bloodline that produces a child with amazing abilities every few generations. Each person has been reported to have slightly different abilities and the ones that are common are healing, varying types of mental control, and in some cases an ability similar to telekinesis. We were told that and then sent to the last known place that you were. We were supposed to either capture you and bring you back or find a clue as to what happened to you and figure out where you went. Obviously we didn’t expect you to be here, alive, still looking 14, and with a another soldier from our facility. One of high rank at that.”

 

Shiro steps forward, his brows furrowing as he goes over what this man said again “What do you mean ‘of high rank’?” Shiro doesn’t remember anything like that.

 

“You really don’t remember? Damn, they must have really done a number on you the last time you acted up.” The soldier chuckles before continuing, “You were the best, even before they replaced your arm. Every soldier there looked up to you, almost all of us were taken from our homes and obedience was beaten into us, but you. You were different. No matter how many times our monitors took you, no matter how many times you were beaten or put into isolation, you always kept your fighting spirit when everyone else lost hope.”

 

“So then what happened? Why don’t I remember any of this? All I remember is vague details and choppy memories.” Shiro’s brows are still furrowed and he’s no longer looking at the soldier, his eyes are trained somewhere to the left and he’s trying to remember anything he can. He knows that he’s missing some pieces, parts of the puzzle that don’t fit with the rest, but he didn’t realize something this big could disappear so suddenly. It’s a chilling feeling to realize that the person he is now could be different than who he was before.

 

“Well I don't know  _ why _ you lost your memories but I could tell you what might have been the reason.” The soldier continues before Shiro has a chance to answer, “The last time I saw you was during a fight. One of the monitors was beating up a new recruit just for the hell of it and you went insane. You took out the monitor on duty and when reinforcements came you wiped all of them out too, it was like you were...unstoppable.” The last part was uttered softly, the soldier’s voice almost reverent. In awe at what Shiro could really do.

 

The soldier stops for a moment as if remembering what had happened in all its details. His nostalgic face remains, but only for a moment before he adopts the stone cold expression again. 

 

“Them giving that arm to a rebel was the worst decision they made and it cost them their deadliest soldier.” Shaking his head the man continues, “You ran off after that and I lost sight of you. The only way you could have gotten out was by scaling the electric fence and it’s not exactly set to ‘static electricity’. That thing could kill someone. I recon that arm of yours helped in climbing it, but I assume the electricity did a number on your memories. You should be happy you’re alive.”

 

Shiro’s only response is a hum, acknowledging that he heard what the soldier said but he has no response and no questions. The soldier is here to answer Keith and Shiro isn’t going to hold him up any longer. Shiro nods towards Keith to let him know that he can continue.

 

“So why would you guys come here after 36 years? You’re the ones that killed me and my parents, so you should know that I was gone.” Keith is much calmer than he was before, now knowing that this man is somewhat willing to answer their questions.

 

“What do you mean we killed your parents? Nothing in our briefing mentioned a past mission at this residence. We were told that our target is a man around the age of 50, this is why we were surprised at finding a kid.” The soldier looks genuinely confused while he’s explaining and Keith is starting to lose hope. They haven’t learned much that has to do with him.

 

“So who killed my family then?” Keith was getting irritated and Shiro could tell but he let it go on for now. “If your facility had nothing to do with it then who could have wanted us dead?”

 

The soldier just shakes his head before answering, “I don’t know man, there wasn’t another official mission on this property. I looked through the whole file and nothing mentioned it.”

 

Growling, Keith kicked the chair the soldier was sitting in, not knocking him over but pushing the chair back enough to alarm the man. 

 

“You have to know  _ something _ . I know you do so just tell me.” Keith was getting louder and louder with each word and by the time he was done talking he was outright yelling.

 

Shiro touched Keith’s arm and nodded his head towards the door going to the kitchen, a silent notification that he wanted to meet with Keith to say something. They both walk into the kitchen and move to where the soldier has no way of hearing or seeing what they are discussing.

 

“Look I know you want answers and I know that not getting them is frustrating but we can’t force answers out of someone that doesn’t have them.” Shiro was speaking in a gentle voice, trying to calm Keith down. “Stay in here for a few minutes and cool your head, I’ll see if I can reason with him.”

 

Not thinking that Shiro deserves a response, Keith crosses his arms and huffs, looking away from Shiro before he does something like roll his eyes. Shiro sees the teenage stubbornness and decides that him speaking to the soldier is more important than hurting Keith’s feelings. Shiro walks back into the main room and sits on the couch in front of the soldier, his way of showing that they’re on the same level right now. 

  
  


“I really am not the kind of guy to beat answers out of another person, and I don’t think you’re lying so how about this: we just talk, soldier to soldier. We both came from the same situation, we were taken from our families and our humanity was beaten out of us. I escaped, Keith is alive somehow. Give us a chance to find a way to stop this war, I believe we can do something about it and the only way we can progress is to get answers.” Shiro leans forward placing his elbows on his knees and continues, “We know Keith has some abilities but we need to learn more before we can start a fight. We have to figure out what he can do and what his limits are. From what you’ve said, there’s been some pretty amazing people in his line of ancestors and if he’s anything like them then I believe we can do something about this war. We need your cooperation right here to find out where we need to go next. Can you help us?”

 

The soldier nods and Shiro gives him a minute to go through his head and try to remember if he’s seen or heard anything about Keith’s family.

 

“They have a theory, one that involves how Keith is the way he is. I don’t know much about it, only bits and pieces. Something about ancestors that used to protect this world, they all had amazing abilities but eventually they died out. They went from being the majority of the population to being a rare species all because the humans were afraid of them. There’s a scientist, they’re the one that gave us this information. I haven’t met this person but I’ve heard a lot about them and I have a name. My advice would be to find them, talk to them, and see if they know of any factions that would want this bloodline to end. They could be your ally in this war, they could give you information on Keith.” The soldier has his head down the whole time he’s talking but at the end he lifts his head to look Shiro straight in the eyes, “end this war. That’s all I ask for in return for this information; so many people are suffering and we all just want it over. I’ll do whatever it takes to help, if you guys want me to join you then I will, if you want me to go back and bullshit a story about what went down here then I will. There is inevitable suffering before we can win this and I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

 

Shiro nods his head and thanks the soldier before calling Keith back into the room to discuss further plans. They speak in front of the soldier, a sign of trust, they want his opinion on this too.

 

“Keith, the soldier has given us some very valuable information. There’s a scientist that knows about your family somewhere out there and I intend to find them. This soldier has offered us his help in either traveling with us to find the soldier or going back to the base and coming up with a story about what happened here. This is your decision to make too and we’ll all have a say in it.” While he was talking, Shiro had grabbed his knife and cut the restraints on the soldier. They are all sitting, Keith and Shiro on the couch and the soldier continuing to sit in his chair.

 

“Do you think we could find the scientist?” Keith is skeptical that they would actually be able to find one person during a time of war, where people are all over the place and you never know who can be trusted. “What if they’re an ally of the facility you came from and they want me to be a lab rat, or they recognize you and alert someone?”

 

“Well from what I’ve heard about the scientist, they aren’t very happy about being a part of this either. It seemed like they were in the same situation that Shiro and I came from, forced to work for this faction and not given a choice. My bet is that they would jump at the chance to meet an actual person from  what they’ve been studying all along, and if we can convince them of your abilities, which shouldn’t be hard, then they might join us and teach you what they know. As for finding them, I have a general idea of where to look.” The soldier is nodding along as he talks, remembering little details he might have passed over before. 

 

“First question I have, what’s your name? You’re a part of this now and ‘him’ and ‘soldier’ is getting old.” Shiro is smiling a little bit but he means it. 

 

“My name is Matt, Matthew Holt.” He holds out his hand and shakes both Shiro and Keith’s.

 

“Okay Matt, now what do you think we should do? In my opinion our best bet would be bringing you along if you’re still up to it. You know more about where this scientist might be located and if we send you back to the facility missing two members of your group and no information, they might get suspicious. It would be safer for you to come with us.” Matt nods at that while Shiro continues,  “When they know that your team isn’t coming back they will most likely come here and investigate and find your two friends over there. They’ll either think you killed them and ran, or they’ll think that someone kidnapped you. With the memories I have of them, I don’t think they would go looking after one lost soldier.” Shiro is sitting with his chin resting on his hand, looking thoughtfully at the floor as he fleshes out each possibility in his head. 

 

“I think you’re right,” Keith pops in, “no matter what we have more people on our tails. If we have Matt with us then we have two trained soldiers, and me, which would mean a higher survival rate. He also knows where this scientist might be, which is a hell of a lot more than we have. So my vote is that he comes with us.”

 

Shiro looks towards Matt, “If you’re still up for it, would you like to join us?” Matt nods his head and Shiro continues, “So what’s the name of the scientist we’re looking for?”

 

“It’s Pidge, Pidge Gunderson. All I have is a name, there’s been no mention of male or female and no mention of age or any background. All I have is rumors on where they’re located.”

 

Shiro claps his hands together and straightens his back. “Alright, let’s get to work then.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie I still feel terrible about the chapter being super extra late but I plan to be working on this more. I had to write an essay the first week of the semester where I created my own people and described them and mine was about what Keith's ancestors are going to be here so I have all of that planned out. They're really awesome and I'm excited to incorporate them into this. I got a 96/100 on that essay btw hot damn.
> 
> As always if you like this please encourage me to write more, I had points where I felt like no one was going to read this anyways and it made it hard to pour so much time into this thinking no one likes it, so comments and kudos definitely show yall's love.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay and here we are at the end~
> 
> I know I'm awful and that cliffhanger is also awful but I had to do it, if you guys want more of this fic I'll need feedback. I've never done a wip before and I'll definitely need to know if people like it and would want it to continue.
> 
> Anyways, you can find me on tumblr at [cas-hyung](http://cas-hyung.us/) and you can find the amazing person helping me with this at [kuroosthigz](http://tetsuos.co.vu/)


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